


Firebending

by Teddydora



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Kyoshi Novels - F. C. Yee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dramatic Irony, Firebending, Gen, they weren't fucking expecting this were they
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:15:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29243442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teddydora/pseuds/Teddydora
Summary: “Kyoshi, when I produce flame, Jianzhu will probably throw a party.”Kyoshi offers to help Yun with his firebending to cheer him up - if neither of them can do it it's funny isn't it?
Relationships: Kelsang & Kyoshi (Avatar), Kyoshi & Rangi, Kyoshi & Yun (Avatar), Kyoshi/Rangi (Avatar)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 76





	1. flames

“Hey, Kyoshi!” Called Yun, “Look what Hei Ran showed me!” Kyoshi turned around, still polishing the silver goblet that some Earth Noble had sent Yun as a gift. 

Yun was crouched down on the ground, punching the air, clearly trying to firebend. “Still haven’t produced flame then?” He turned to her, 

“Kyoshi, when I produce flame, Jianzhu will probably throw a party.” He sank down onto his heels and bit his lip. “Honestly, I don’t know if I ever will. It’s just-” he waved his hands around but whatever he was trying to convey, Kyoshi couldn’t figure it out. “There’s this thing that Sifu Hei Ran keeps talking about - like flame is an internal thing that all firebenders feel - I’ve never felt it.”

She found herself speaking without thinking, “I could do it with you, if you like? Then if it doesn’t work then it’s just neither of us producing flame and it’s no big deal. Or-” she shrugged, “It might work. Who knows? And about the inner flame thing - if so many Avatars only find out they can firebend so late then you’re just no exception. It’ll come with time.” She didn’t think he heard her last reassurance, his face crushed in thought. 

“Yeah alright, do it with me. I’ll teach you. This’ll be fun.” Kyoshi felt a pit at the bottom of her stomach but disregarded it. If it made Yun happier she would do it. She placed the cloth and goblet onto a table and knelt beside him. 

“You’ll need to teach me. I don’t know a single bending form.”

“Really? I thought you were an Earthbender?”  _ She said too much _ .

“I can bend. Just never learned. Now what do I do?” 

“Let’s start by focusing our inner energies. Hei Ran makes me meditate but it can get dull real quick. Just breathe with me and focus on your power.”

Kyoshi focused on the tiny feeling she got when she moved boulders and rocks - never anything smaller. It was slight but she could feel  _ something _ \- a flickering thing. Almost like a flame. After a minute or so of silence, Yun must’ve gotten antsy since he stopped it. 

“Okay now stand like this. Posture is really important. Probably doesn’t matter here but still. And push your fists out… just punch the air and let the energy go through you like a breath.”

“Are we going to keep count?”

“Yeah. Let’s do to ten for each set. See if we get anywhere.”

“One” Kyoshi focused on her breath. Maybe she could do something earthbendy. Sure she wasn’t the avatar but that would be interesting at least.”

“Two” There was definitely something there.

“Three” Was it her or was it getting hotter in here?

“Four” Maybe Yun was on the verge of producing flame!

“Five” 

“Six”

“Seven”

“Eight” It had gone for a minute when she relaxed her posture but she had fixed it and it was coming back again. Energy building right through her. 

“Nine” Nearly there. Was that smoke? Why was there smoke?

“Ten. Holy fucking spirits,  _ Kyoshi- _ ”


	2. smoke

Yun’s scream managed to make half the mansion rush into the room, Rangi skidding through the door first, fists at the ready to see what had alarmed the Avatar so much, Jianzhu, Kelsang and Hei Ran quickly in tow, all prepared to fight. What they instead saw was a singed rug and Yun staring at Kyoshi in utter silence while Kyoshi resembled a cod herring fish with her open mouth. 

Kelsang spoke first, “What happened here, is everything all right?”

Yun just blinked at them, “Kyoshi - she - she… you told me I was the avatar.”

“What?” Jianzhu’s eyes flickered between the two teenagers, ready to see who would talk first, “Yun, of course you’re the Avatar. We declared it thus. No one else could be Kuruk’s reincarnation.” Kelsang curled his lip at that remark. 

“Then how come Kyoshi bent fire.” It wasn’t phased as a question. Yun’s tone was dead. Empty. Confused. 

Gasps echoed themselves through the crowd that had gathered, chatters breaking out everywhere. 

“Kyoshi you did  _ what? _ ” Rangi had given up on maintaining appearances as the Avatar’s bodyguard and rushed to Kyoshi’s side, the tall girl still unmoved. “Kyoshi?” She repeated in a softer tone. 

“All right, that’s it.” Jianzhu had realised there was an audience. An audience of the entire household of the Avatar’s mansion. “Everybody out!” He clapped his hands sharply, “And if I hear a single rumour of what was heard and said here…” he trailed off his tone threatening and furious. Multiple servants gulped audibly and they shuffled out of the door and down the hallway, probably to listen from there. 

Jianzhu took a breath. Then another one. And another.

Kelsang sat by his daughter’s side, who had dropped to the floor, face frozen. Rangi stroked her arm, “What happened? It’s alright, you’re safe.” 

Hei Ran hadn’t moved from her position at the door, taking in all the scene, shoulders squared, face harsh. 

“Kyoshi suggested that if I did my firebending practice with her, then I would feel better since I’ve never produced a flame. So I taught her the stances and like the breathing and stuff and we were just doing it, it was just a joke,” Yun’s face was white, “And- and,” he sniffed, “She did that. Produced flame.” He whispered, “I guess you were wrong then, Jianzhu.”

The man in question had started pacing and if the rug hadn’t already been singed then Kyoshi would’ve worried about him wearing hole in it. As it was, there were bigger issues at hand. 

“So, just to be clear, you taught Kyoshi a firebending move, and she produced flame.”

Yun bowed his head, “Yes, Master Jianzhu.”

“Therefore, you are not the Avatar. Kyoshi is. Yes?”

“Yes, Master Jianzhu.”

“You have deceived us all. Take your leave now and I want to never see you on this estate or in Yokoya at all. Understood?”

Kyoshi could see that Yun’s jaw was clenching and his voice was thicker when he mumbled, “Yes, Master Jianzhu.”

She wanted to speak up but the gravity of what was happening was descending on her and choking her words when she tried to speak. Her friend left the room, body hunched, like he was physically injured. 

Jianzhu turned to her, “Kyoshi-” but was cut off by Kelsang.

“Kyoshi has been through enough today. Let her rest. We can discuss everything in the morning.”

“Fine,” conceded Jianzhu through bitter teeth, “Take her to one of the guest rooms while the Avatar’s room is made over for her. Whatever was given to the  _ false Avatar _ ,” he said the words as if they were poison and it made Kyoshi’s head hurt, “Is hers now.” Then he swept out of the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this was meant to be a oneshot "what if" idea originally but is now growing into something else, which is fun and all. Idk where I should go from here now so if you guys want to leave suggestions and tell me what you thought - that'd be great!


	3. Ash

Kyoshi didn’t remember much until the next morning when she woke up in a bed far nicer than the one she was used to sleeping in. As she opened her eyes she realised that this wasn’t the room she was used to. It was one of the guestrooms, reserved for the best of Yun’s, or rather, Jianzhu’s guests. 

Far too fine for her. Why was she here anyway? What happened?

_ Firebending. Jianzhu. Yun- _

Yun was gone. She remembered, from her spot in the corner, the way Jianzhu had exiled him. He had done nothing wrong and his whole life had been upturned. Ruined. By her. 

A sharp knock on the door interrupted her before she spiraled, “Kyoshi, can I come in?”

She nodded before realising Kelsang couldn’t see her, “Yes.”

He came in and closed the door quietly before joining her on the bed. For all his height and stature, he looked incredibly small and tired, with wisps of baby hair poking up since he hadn’t shaved it yet and his beard was tangled and unkempt like he had been pulling on it in worry. “How are you feeling?”

Kyoshi felt like sinking through the floorboards and ceasing to exist but instead she answered, “Really confused. What’s going on? What happened?”

Kelsang laughed without any humour, “You’re the avatar. Yun, as it turns out, is not.”

“I wanted it to be a bad dream so much. I hate this. It’s all wrong.”

“It’s not good for Jianzhu, that’s for sure. It’s also not good for Hei Ran, or me or Lu Beifong.”

“I’ve messed up everything.”

Kelsang took Kyoshi’s face in his hands and made her look him in the eyes, “You’ve done nothing wrong, this wasn’t for you to control, Kyoshi.”

“What about everything that Yun’s done? Do those agreements even count anymore?”

“No they don’t but you can’t worry about those right now. You need to train. Jianzhu’s… his training of Yun was cruel. More than cruel. Hei Ran told me last night. All this time I thought it was a little harsh but it’s more akin to torture than teaching. I can’t let that happen to you.”

Kyoshi remembered all the times Yun was limping or run down when he returned from his lessons and the efforts he went to conceal how he was feeling even when she knew something was wrong. “When you say you won’t let that happen… It’s Jianzhu. What  _ can _ you do?” Kelsang’s stare bore into her, begging her to understand his meaning. “You want me to run away.” It wasn’t a question. 

“I want us to run away. And Rangi. She’s your sworn bodyguard and is packing your things to leave on Peng Peng right now.”

“What about Jianzhu and Hei Ran? They won’t let us leave like that. You do know they’re both very powerful and dangerous, right?” She wanted to check he hadn’t lost his mind because he was talking as if he had. 

He looked guilty. Almost. “They really need to be more careful with what they put into their tea. They’ll be out cold for at least a day so we need to take that head start. Are you coming?”

Kyoshi considered it. It would be dangerous, running away like this and it would certainly damage her reputation as the Avatar. On the other hand, this was Kelsang, who had raised her when she had no one and paid people to do it when he couldn’t be there, albeit with Jianzhu’s money. She didn’t want to be treated like Yun. Not if his mistreatment was as bad as Kelsang was insinuating or what she had seen. 

There was only one answer: “Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this. Since it was originally a oneshot, I have no idea what to do with the plot so if any of you have suggestions or ideas please tell me

**Author's Note:**

> so i thought this'd be fun. tell me what you thought! comments really make my day.


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